The company has reportedly just offered to invest 1 trillion won ($880 million in LG Display in order to ensure enough supply for OLED panels for its upcoming Pixel successor.
Google has offered to invest at least 1 trillion won ($880.29 million) to help South Korea's LG Display Co Ltd boost output of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens for smartphones, the Electronic Times reported citing unnamed sources.
The paper said Google offered the investment to secure a stable supply of flexible OLED screens for its next Pixel smartphones. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd's flagship Galaxy smartphones use the bendable displays, while Apple Inc is expected to start using them in at least some of its next iPhones. LG Display declined to comment, while Google could not be immediately reached for comment.
The report points that Google is in a position to stabilize supply and demand and to reduce the burden of huge capex investment for LG Display. The agreement between the two companies is the industry's ultimate concern. Depending on the details of the contract, such as supply conditions, the investment size may increase. LG Display is reported to have been carefully considering whether to sign the contract after receiving such a proposal from Google.
Rumors around the Google Pixel 2 have been in the news for a while now. The first leaks on the subject suggest that the search giant's next-gen Pixel smartphones could get fully dust and water-resistant builds. Google apparently plans to improve the onboard camera, particularly for low-light performance. However, it's as yet unclear whether the upgrades will come from new hardware elements via the sensor or from software upgrades via the camera app. The camera is already a major selling point for Google's current Pixel handsets, billed as the "highest-rated smartphone camera ever."
Google presented and launched its first range of Pixel smartphones in 2016, with two high-end handsets (5-inch and 5.5-inch models) boasting a stylish design, a latest-gen processor and a top-end camera, designed to get the best out of Android Nougat. At launch, Pixel smartphones were positioned as direct rivals for the Samsung Galaxy S7 or Apple's iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, although they only went on sale in selected countries.
With inputs from Reuters
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 "Google ,Google Pixel 2, Google smartphones, LG Display, Google LG Display, Web Exclusive,")
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